Court hears details of life for men kept as 'slaves'

Sepp Blatter: Penalty shoot-outs must remain, they’re football’s great leveller

As England supporters, we should scorn at any such deciding factor within football. On so many occas...

Why do some men consider the street as a female meat market?

Pronouncements on sexual inequality in the UK are normally met with an eye roll by my generation. As...

Political corruption reflects the widening chasm between the political class and the electorate

The corruption and hypocrisy which has come to characterise politics and politicians, and in particu...

Despite its popularity, the death penalty would allow the state to kill innocent people

The University of Michigan law school and Northwestern University have just compiled a database of o...

Four men arrested after a raid on a traveller's site were remanded in custody yesterday after appearing in court on charges of enslavement.

Three brothers – James "Jimmy" Connors, 23, Tommy Connors, 27 and Patrick Connors, 19 – appeared at Luton Magistrates' Court along with their brother-in-law James "Big Jim" Connors, 33.

The court heard that many of the alleged victims were required to undertake labour such as ground work, block paving, resurfacing and retiling for little or no pay.

They are currently said to be in varying conditions both mentally and physically, and it was reported last night that a doctor specialising in the care of torture victims has been employed to treat them.

The charges against the defendants relate to alleged victims who were removed from the Greenacres travellers' site in Bedfordshire after a police raid on Sunday.

The four men face a variety of charges, all of which were allegedly committed between April last year and August this year.

The arrests followed an investigation into alleged offences against the victims by Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police's Major Crime Unit.

The defendants live with their families at the site, in Great Billington, Leighton Buzzard.

Most Viewed
Most Commented
Most Shared

Experience the Heineken Hub

Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.

Teaching jobs Networking 2012 Prizes & offers

Business videos

Can you imagine a career in teaching?

Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.

Heineken Hub Networking 2012 Prizes & offers

Business videos

Playing a game-changing role during the Games

Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Prizes & offers

Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012

Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012

Prizes & offers

Jobseekers
Recruiters

For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos

On a secluded peninsula in north-east Greece lies an enclave that's way off the tourist map, especially for women...

48 Hours In: Faro

More than just the gateway to the Algarve, this city has much to tempt you off the beach.

Here, the coast is always clear: Celebrating sixty years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

60 years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

Mick Webb reveals a land of puffins, tanks and Hollywood blockbusters.

Free Range

Meet the artists of the future

Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

As scientists at Rothamsted's GM trials plead with activists not to sabotage their work, Michael McCarthy visits the battle field

Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Deep in Cameroon's rainforests, poachers are killing primates for food. Evan Williams reports from Yokadouma on a practice that could create a pandemic